Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
July 3, 2013

Dynamo
It’s that time again. The time when 12 young people, with one hopeful standing in the wings, take to the stage to battle it out in the Scotiabank Junior Monarch Semifinals.
Having already performed in two tents, the youngest of the young – the 8 to 12s – will appear first on the mounted stage at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Saturday, July 6 at 7 p.m.
Those competing with include some returning faces to the competition, like Dynamo, Quinn P, Mighty King, Black Beauty, Say Say and Raanan; but it will also see performances from some challenging newcomers like Mighty K.T., R.J., Mighty Makeda, Ke Ke, G-Baby and DJ, while Star Fire will wait in the wings as reserve with her song Education.
They will all be fighting for the precious nine spots to meet reigning monarch Jazz-Z in the finals on July 20.
Second placed last year, losing out to Jazz-Z, Dynamo has returned with a song called My X this year, hoping to cinch the crown this time around. But it will not be an easy competition, because there are some serious and tough contenders to get pass.
One to watch will be newcomer Mighty K.T., whose voice in Poverty stunned the audience during the tents, but so too did R.J., who delivered strong a presentation with The Future of Kaiso.
Quinn P’s Living With HIV was a definite strong song in the tents, as was Mighty Makeda’s True Royalty, which she delivered with surprising conviction for a first timer and one only 10-years-old.
Mighty King and Raanan are two committed youngsters to the junior competition and returned this year with Rise Up Young People and Learn to Swim respectively, hoping too that this year will be their lucky one.
Black Beauty reached the semifinals last year and she will no doubt be hoping her performance of Moving On this Saturday will be enough to earn her a spot in the finals, as will Say Say, who is in her third year in the competition, this year competing with One Wheel In the Air, which though she brings the antics, needs to bring more energy to the performance.
G-Baby’s Why has a sweet melody and if she delivers on it, the St. Giles Primary student likewise stands a good chance; and the audience will no doubt be looking to see what Ke Ke does with Calypso Is My Passion, a song which the first timer performed to her credit in the tents.
DJ’s clear voice is one that could be heard as the Lodge School student sang Stand in the tents, but now the first timer has to up the performance and bring the energy, rendition and other elements to earn him a coveted spot. (LB)